Thursday 5 November 2015

Teenage Issues

In our narrative we included several teenage issues to represent the difficulties teens face as they reach adulthood. 

Depression
  • Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression an estimated 20% of teenagers will experience depression before they reach adulthood. This sounds like a low statistic but depression is a serious mental health disorder that can lead to serious problems if it is not dealt with. 
  • In our trailer, our character is not represented as clearly experiencing depression however it is a long term side effect of alcohol and drug abuse, especially after withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.
Bullying
  • Bullying is a very common problem with teens. There are no official statistics on this problem as the bullying cases aren't always reported however the NSPCC published a report stating that there were almost 26,000 counselling sessions for teens that were bulling in the last year.
  • Social exclusion is a from of bullying so our film has aspects of this issue involved however not in large quantities as her addictions cause a lot of exclusion for her.
Teenage Pregnancy
  • Teenage pregnancy is a decreasing problem in Britain however still exists. An article on The Guardian online states that 'teenage pregnancy in England and Wales is at its lowest rate in 46 years'. The pregnancy rate for women aged 15 – 17 was at 24.5 conceptions per thousand (Office for National Statistics). This is a 13% drop since 2013 The ONS report suggested the reasons for the drop could be increased education on contraception, perception of stigma associated with being a teenage mother, shifts in aspirations of girls towards education.
  • We are not referencing teenage pregnancy in our narrative as we would like to focus more on drug and alcohol abuse and having a pregnancy also would be unrealistic and over the top.
Homelessness
  • In 2014 an estimated 2,744 people slept rough on any one night across England. Young adults are at particular risk of homelessness. Since 2010 the number of young people sleeping rough in London alone has more than doubled and 8% of 16-24 year olds report being homeless. 
  • Due to Rose's alcohol and drug abuse in our narrative, she gets kicked out of her family home and is forced to live alone on the streets.
Alcoholism
  • It is well known that underage drinking exists however starting to drink at a young age can cause complications I later life and possibly lead to addiction. By age 18, more than 70 percent of teens have had at least one drink
  • 193 males and 121 females between 15 and 34 years of age died from alcohol-related causes in 2011 in the UK
  • As our character turns 18,s she is legally allowed to purchase alcohol and the influence from the new group she meets turns her towards alcohol and she therefore becomes reliant.
Drug Abuse
  • 42% of boys and 35% of girls admitted they had tried illegal drugs at least once 
  • 2 in 5 15 year olds admitted to cannabis use at least once
  • Like alcohol abuse, our character turns to drugs as a diversion from her problems. Her new friendship group sell her the drugs and she therefore has constant access to illegal substances which causes a problem with addiction.
Suicide
  • Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24
  • Severe depression can often lead to suicide, and depression is often a long term side effect of drug and alcohol abuse.
  • Our character does not have any links to suicide as this is an extreme topic and would be hard to focus on due to the sensitivity and extremity of the subject. Our character is however very vulnerable and at risk to an overdose.
Smoking
  • 90% of smokers begin before the age 19
  • Teenage smokers are at more at risk of depression, especially after withdrawal
  • The law states that to buy cigarettes you must be over 18 years old - our character is therefore old enough to purchase and smoke cigarettes

No comments:

Post a Comment